This is a more Reddit comment section than I’ve seen on r/headphones in ages. It’s almost nostalgic! I use my wired Sundara (which have dropped in price greatly since I got them years ago!) at my desk with DAC/AMP all the time, of course, and have a very nice set of Etymotic IEMs with a USB-C dongle permanently attached (once I stopped using it for my PC*). For use with my phone I haven’t actually reached for those Etys over my AirPods Pro 2 in years as the latter are significantly more convenient. They also work fine with Windows 11 (which supports AAC over Bluetooth, as can Linux IIRC) if I want to use them there for whatever reason. Maybe I’m blessed in that I don’t require my phone to be a critical listening device? * If you have hissing/interference/etc when plugging headphones into your PC, the Apple USB-C dongle is very good and only 9 USD.
Recommends it
I can't stand Beyerdynamic audio and don't understand why anyone recommends it. It has an awful treble peak you can't stop noticing once you hear it, and you can't drive their headphones without an amp. I recommend HiFiMan Sundara/Ananda if they fit your head and there aren't any CPU fans in your room.
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> What services do you use for lossless music streaming? - Now, I'm using Navidrome hosted on my home server (local collection). I also have MPD configured on the same server which is connected to my AV receiver via optical. - I almost always use my Mac (I use ALAC instead of FLAC). I either use the Navidrome interface, a subsonic client (submariner), or local copies with Doppler. I have a pair of Hifiman Sundara for proper listening (JDS Labs DAC and amplifier), an IEM when there's too much noise outside, and various other headphones tied to different devices. I also do airplay to a couple Homepod Mini. I need the amp for the Sundara, nothing else can drive it apart from the AV receiver. Less than good encoded files sound awful on the better headphones and speakers, especially if you've listened to the lossless files. As an analogy, I can take pictures taken from a phone. On the screen phone, it looks great, but not so good when displayed on a 43" display, but still ok. So I don't mind listening to a 128kbps mp3 file, but I found lossless files are always clearer and fill the space better.
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I have the Sony XM3-1000H. I got it because of the noise-cancelling features when I go to my coworking space, or just want a bit of extra quiet. But my preferred headphones are the Sennheiser HD-6XX. And for focused listening, I have a pair of Hifiman Sundara, which cost as much as the Sony. The point is, I bought bluetooth headphones because they fit my purpose. But simple and wired is always my favorite aspect for headphones (I had a pair that I replaced the headphone cable thrice).
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I think Sundara HifiMan might be over your price range, but these are my current favourite headphones, some internet person who knows more about audio than me [recommended them]( https://old.reddit.com/r/bapcsalescanada/comments/vn53cw/hea... )
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Scrobbles through Last.fm? But I don't think you can export directly from Spotify (maybe through playlist and one of the music transfer tools? I mostly use Spotify to listen through a recommended album. And ads bother me, so I switched to premium (It's 2.99 for me). I have a local library of ALAC albums that I like. I used Syncthing to sync it to my home server, where there is a Plex installation (When I want to play via the ATV). And I convert to AAC 256kbps to my iPhone (Bluetooth is lossy anyway). More hassle than playing via Spotify, but the latter's UX is so bad that it's worth it. Also I have some excellent headphones (Hifiman Sundara and Sennheiser 6XX).
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HiFiMAN has really destroyed the audiophile market for other brands. Every single bracket of their products perform like any other company +50% extra price product Sundaras were amazing, but the new edition XS were just the last straw for competitors, never a headset of that quality was so affordable, the equivalent from other brands can even cost 2x the price.
Likes itDoesn’t say they own it
It's sort of strange to me how many Americans seem to share the same sentiment when my experience has often been the total opposite. China has some of the best factories, supply chains, and collaboration in the world. And while yes, of course, loads of intentionally cheap, low-quality goods are churned out regularly, many Chinese companies also make really solid products, often even the best products until you reach a certain ultra-luxury price bracket that they simply aren't trying to compete in. For example, sure, an LG/Samsung/Sony OLED will be way nicer in terms of picture quality than any Hisense on the market. But the cheapest OLED on BestBuy right now is a last-gen, clearance 46" LG that costs almost ~$700; if you want a 50"+ model, be prepared to spend $1,000 minimum. On the other hand, the 75" U6H I got for $600 was better than any comparable non-OLED offering by non-Chinese companies until you got into the $1,000-1,200+ price range. Midea is another good example; sure, Bosch, Miele, and Zojirushi often have much nicer luxury products, but if you're a middle/working-class person who doesn't want to or can't spend $300+ on a rice cooker, it'll be hard to beat--unless you get lucky like me and find the one weird guy in your town who happened to be moving cities and selling off all his appliances, including some perfect-condition JDM Zojirushi with an inverter for $100 (and also happen to have a Japanese friend you can annoy to help you figure out what all the Kanji men…